Rudolf Urges Pristina to Act on Serb Municipalities
Germany's ambassador to Kosovo, Rainer Rudolf, tells Ekonomia Online he wants a high-level Belgrade-Pristina meeting, mediated by the EU, and concrete steps toward the ZSO.
Rainer Rudolf, Germany’s ambassador to Kosovo, said in an interview published on October 24, 2026 that implementing an agreement on self-organization of the Serb community is a step Pristina can take. He also proposed a high-level meeting between Belgrade and Pristina, mediated by the European Union. The interview with the Albanian portal Ekonomia Online was conducted by Artiona Citaku and published at 7:55.
What did Rudolf say about the Association of Serb Municipalities?
The ambassador wants Kosovo’s government to take concrete steps toward forming the Association of Serb-majority Municipalities, known by its Serbian acronym ZSO. As an example, he pointed to implementing an agreement on some form of self-organization for the Serb community.
“There are specific steps Kosovo can take, for example implementing the agreement on self-organization of the Serb minority,” Rudolf said in the interview, which was translated from Albanian. He added right away: “How that will be achieved, we will see, but it is beyond doubt that both countries have a lot of work to do.”
Growth Plan, membership application and the Berlin Process
Rudolf says the basic precondition for progress has been met: the institutions are confirmed, and Kosovo has a government with a full mandate. The next step, in his words, is passing the law that would allow funds from the Growth Plan for Kosovo to be paid out. He conceded that the European process has moved too slowly in recent years, but said there is no point arguing over the reasons for the delay, only over what comes next.
The ambassador asked for a clear commitment from the new government: “I think we need to see a clear commitment from Kosovo and its newly elected government.” He also put part of the responsibility on the European Union, which he expects to forward Kosovo’s membership application to the European Commission. The German government, he said, will reaffirm its support at the Berlin Process summit in Montenegro.
We covered the membership application earlier, when Kurti asked for candidate status for Kosovo at the summit in Milocer.
Pressure or mediation in the Belgrade-Pristina dialogue?
Asked about relations between Kosovo and Serbia, Rudolf replied that this is not a matter of EU pressure, but of both sides taking part in a dialogue the EU facilitates through its special representative. “But we are not applying pressure,” he said.
As a concrete step in the dialogue, he proposed a high-level meeting between Belgrade and Pristina, mediated by the European Union.
Where does the agreement on the Association of Serb Municipalities come from?
The ZSO agreement was reached within the First Brussels Agreement on April 19, 2013, and additional principles were agreed in August 2015. Its implementation and certain elements were confirmed in later agreements in the dialogue process.
US Embassy: strategic dialogue awaits fulfillment of obligations
The American embassy in Pristina also spoke the same day. In a reply to Klan Kosova, its spokesperson recalled that the strategic dialogue between the United States and Kosovo was suspended indefinitely in September 2025, because of the actions of the then caretaker government. The spokesperson went on to say:
“We remain committed to advancing the shared interests of the United States of America and the people of Kosovo. We expect to hold the strategic dialogue with Kosovo when the appropriate conditions are met, including fulfillment of the obligations Kosovo has undertaken toward Kosovo Serbs.”
Berlin and Washington, each in its own register, thus tied the further course of relations with Pristina to the same issue on the same day: the position of the Serb community in Kosovo.
